All Chapters of The Alpha’s Ex-Mate: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Irina pov Has anyone ever wondered what it’s like to live in a beautiful castle? The kind from storybooks, with towering spires, vast ballrooms, and gardens that stretch on for miles? I suppose the answer depends entirely on who you are. If you’re a prince or a princess, it’s probably a dream. But if you’re the one scrubbing the floors of the ballroom and polishing the silver in the vast, empty dining halls? Well, that’s a different kind of story.My name is Irina Rosevelt, and I’m twenty-three years old. I’m not the jovial kind of girl. People here in the castle at Redmoon Park— which is technically my pack’s name, though it’s never felt like home—say I work like a machine. They whisper it when they think I can’t hear what they’re saying. “Look at her go, never stops, never smiles. Like a little robot.” They’re not entirely wrong. But what they don’t see is that the machine-like focus is the only thing holding me together. It’s a tough front, a suit of armor I welded together myse

Irina’s POVAfter I finished polishing that perfectly clean vase for the second time, I was dismissed. My shift was technically over, though "over" is a loose term when you're a maid. There's always more work. Always. But tonight, I was too tired to find more. My feet ached, my back throbbed, and the hollow place in my chest where my mate bond used to live was pulsing with a dull, familiar ache.I made my way to the servants' quarters, a narrow, drafty wing of the castle that the royals pretended didn't exist. My room was small, barely large enough for a cot, a rickety wardrobe, and a tiny window that let in more cold than light. But it was my sanctuary.When I pushed open the door, I wasn't alone."Heyyyy, bundles!"Anikta. My best friend. The only person in this entire castle, in this entire pack, who actually managed to get me talking. People said that about her all the time, "How does she do it? Irina's like a stone, but Anikta gets her to chat like a normal person." They weren't

Irina pov Thank goodness Anikta led me out of that dining hall.I don't know what would have happened if she hadn't been there, her hand firm on my arm, her body a shield between me and the weight of all those eyes. The water. Ian’s ruined shirt. Lindsey's smug, satisfied smile. The announcement of a child that should have meant nothing to me but somehow cut deep. I barely remember walking down to our rooms. My legs moved on their own. My face stayed blank. But inside, I was a storm of things I refused to name.That was a week ago.A week of keeping my head down. A week of avoiding them, of taking the longer routes through the castle, of making myself so small and invisible that even Lindsey might forget I existed. A week of telling myself that the pain in my chest was nothing, that I didn't care about Ian’s child or his life or anything that happened in that glittering world above me.I almost believed it."Irina!"Mrs. Rose’s voice cut through the quietness of the servants' corrid

Irina's pov He stood there, tall and broad, his red eyes fixed on me with an expression I couldn't read. Curiosity, maybe. Confusion. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, like he has been running his hands through it, and he was dressed simply today, a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing strong forearms. He looked less intimidating like this.Then his nose twitched. His perfect, handsome nose scrunched up, and he took a step back.I had been carrying that animal around for the better part of an hour, and it’s smell was still clinging to me like a second skin. And let’s not talk about the smell coming from the basket I held in my other hand. The smell was unmistakable, undeniable, and utterly humiliating.I clutched my two baskets, one holding the skunk, the other holding my stolen food and quickly hid them behind my back, as if that would somehow make the situation less incriminating."Alpha—" I started, my voice coming out as a squeak. I tried to explain, to say somet

The castle was buzzing with life when we emerged, which is normal. Servants hurried past with armfuls of fresh linens, their faces a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. Mrs. Rose’s room had been cordoned off with a simple rope across the doorway, and I caught glimpses of two guards standing inside, examining the space with serious expressions.My stomach dropped. Literally dropped for real. Guards. They brought in guards. This wasn't just a minor inconvenience anymore. This was an investigation.Anikta grip on my hand tightened, and she pulled me in the opposite direction, toward the kitchens. "Keep your head down," she murmured. "Don't look at them. Don't look at anything. Just walk."I did as she said. My eyes stayed fixed on the floor, on Anikta’s worn boots, on the cracks in the stone. We passed the cordoned-off room, passed the gossiping servants, passed the guards who were too busy examining the scene to notice two maids walking calmly by.When we finally reached the kitchen, A